"You couldn't give me a Lee die..."

[j4570]

LEE dies aren't my first choice. But, that being said, they have made dies for some rare calibers, and they are the only ones making them at a decent price. Take the 41 Swiss, 9x18 Makarov, 43 Spanish, etc. Other companies used to charge crazy prices for those dies. Guess what, with modern machining, it isn't that hard to make a limited number, program it in the CNC once, and when more are need, run a few off. It doesn't take tons of steps and effort to repeat something you made a year or two ago.

The LEE dies I have, I've been satisfied. One thing particulare I don't like is their lockrings. Easy enough to replace.

JW

[canebreaker]

I had a furneral to attend the other day. I met a semi-cousin that I had never met before. Being kin through marriages.
Bill works at the Lee plant. They are working 24/7, if asked/told to work overtime, you'd better or walk off the job.
He's telling me they will get an order of thousands of one die set. When that order is filled, they get another.
So when ordering a die set, sometimes you have to wait before the order is sent to you. Explains why some set aren't on venders shelves for awhile.

[mold maker]

Granted Lee's products aren't as perfect as we would like. Neither are the other brands, but Lee products are made here in the US, and their cheaper than the others foreign made stuff.
If you've never been responsible for production, in competition with foreign made goods, and selling at a much cheaper price point, you have no idea what a headache feels like.
Lee spends their efforts on what makes their tools work, not how polished (expensive) they look. They have also been very creative in innovations to re-loading methods.
It's up to you to learn to use some of their products which were never intended to work like other brands. The end product is the same or better.
I'll take the savings realized by using Lee's stuff, and buy primers and powder. That way, I'm still shooting, at the best possible price.
If the color of the boxes on your bench, are all important, You can buy them empty, and hide the Lee dies inside.
Neither game, nor targets, can tell the difference.

[jim4065]

I'm sure that this has been mentioned before, but my only complaint with Lee dies is that they're not radiused (or chamfered) properly to work with other brands of progressive presses. This leads to frequent "hang-ups" when straight wall cases are entering the sizing die.

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

mold maker,

if finish is so unimportant to you, care to start buying rifles with the external quality Lee thinks is good? A Yugo will get you around at the same legal speed limits as my Jaguar XK-8 convertible. Did you stop getting your cars repaired in fender benders? A company that has no pride in what they turn out... Not for me. Everything Lee makes looks cheesy and third world.

to each his own I guess...

Rich
DRSS

[shooterg]

Love my Dillons. Still use my old Lee Challenger on occasion. If somebody waved a magic wand and all the Lee stuff went poof, and those guys quit loading/casting there's sure be enough lead and primers left for the rest to stay busy for a long time !

[georgeld]

In reply to post #8 on the first page wanting to know what specific problems we've had.

I bought a Lee Load Master press and after it got out of kilter the first time I never could get it to stop eating those $3 plastic parts. Five yrs later I finally gave up & contacted Dave Shono about sending it back. The gentleman offered to take it back for what I paid for it w/papers to prove it, or full current retail price.
I sent a long list of other items I wanted. About a week after I shipped it all back a big box of things came from Lee. The next day a check for $330 came too. You'll play hell getting that kinda refund from any other company.

The other problems I had was the leaking powder measures. Never did find one that didn't leak. I had seven Perfects that leaked from brand new with the finer powders, they wouldn't leak with the courser grained type's though. BUt, I load lots of ammo with ball powders.

After vacuuming real well or so I thought. Started casting one winter & dropped a hot sprue on the carpet. Just about burnt the house down. Yeah, it's stupid of me to cast in the house, don't any longer. But, PP quality measures that leak that much powder too.

I've since gone to Uniflows and Lil Dandy's, neither of those leak at all.

[jimkim]

I completely agree.....you couldn't even give me a set of Lee dies. I dare you to even try. My address is PO Box 4101, Eastman GA 31023. Go ahead and try! Just you see what happens! Another thing you couldn't give me is a Lee Classic Cast press. I double dawg dare ya!!!!

[1hole]

" Not for me. Everything Lee makes looks cheesy and third world."

Your position is rational IF Lee's stuff, especially the dies underdiscussion, worked as poorly as a Yugo. But Lee's dies work at least as well as your pricey Jag, likely much better. Pay what ever it takes to feed your ego but our pride in value is in the performance, not the surface gilitter.

Different folks, different strokes.

[cajun shooter]

I use RCBS dies for most all my loading but on each turret on my Dillon 550 and my Lee Classic turret you will find a Lee final crimp die.

[canebreaker]

jimkim: great way to pick up some used equipment. I like it!

Perfect powder measurer: I dismantle mine after every reload sestion. Wash with soap and water, air dry, apply graphite and adjust lever screw till no leaks on paper plate. Only before I read the manual did I have leaks.

Before the car cruncher deals, we needed a new car. We bought a program Kia at a great price. I was in a game room. Others were talking about needing to take advantage of the cruncher deal. I told them about our deal. Someone came in and started this 'you need to buy USA made cars!' I said, ok, which one Nissan or Toyota. South Korea, the only car producing country that we haven't been to war with yet, I'll support them.

[Marlinreloader]

Nuff Said.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZEas38vkKg

Marlinreloader

[Doc_Stihl]

What kind of press is that in the video above?

[Marlinreloader]

That is a Forster C0-Ax press.

Marlinreloader

[The Virginian]

The only problem I've had with Lee dies is their length. They're a tad short for my 550b. I swear by the factory crimp dies though.

Try locking them in from the bottom of the Dillon die plate insteead of from the top as you will get more clearance.

[jeff423]

I'm sure that this has been mentioned before, but my only complaint with Lee dies is that they're not radiused (or chamfered) properly to work with other brands of progressive presses. This leads to frequent "hang-ups" when straight wall cases are entering the sizing die.

That's my only issue with Lee dies. Although I think RCBS dies are worse in this regard than Lee. I'm currently having a real problem with a 9mm RCBS set which I hope to cure with a Dillon sizing die. I still finish up with the Lee FCD.

Jeff

[azcoyhunter]

I own lee equipment.
I used to have a RCBS press, but I traded it for a Lee Press
I like Lee, they are cheap, work good, and made right here
in the USA!!!

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

if finish is so unimportant to you, care to start buying rifles with the external quality Lee thinks is good? A Yugo will get you around at the same legal speed limits as my Jaguar XK-8 convertible. Did you stop getting your cars repaired in fender benders? A company that has no pride in what they turn out... Not for me. Everything Lee makes looks cheesy and third world.

to each his own I guess...

Rich
DRSS

Three bags full of bs. I work gun shows on a regular basis and see dies there from every manufacturer and from every era. Only the most expensive dies I've seen have a seriously better external finish. The current batches of foreign made dies being sold by RCBS and Lyman aren't any nicer finished than the Lee dies, if as good. And of the manufacturer's I've owned (RCBS, Lyman and Hornady), none have outperformed the Lee dies in service. In the pistol realm, the Lee dies performed better for me.

Since I've been in school the last three years (Returned at 47 to change careers.), I can't afford to have anything on my bench that isn't a top performer. If it doesn't produce, I don't keep it there. Lee products pushed an RCBS Rock Chucker, a Lyman T-mag, several sets of RCBS, Lyman and Hornady dies off my bench and into the "for sale" listings.

If these other so called "superior" companies pretty junk had been better in form/function, they would still be there. They weren't and Lee bettered them. And that's a bottom line. Best price, best or matching performance. Great combination along with advanced designs.

Dave

[The Dove]

Dang boys, they all have their plusses and minuses....... Just whistle and grin and ride your horse! "Ray Hunt"

The Dove

[armyrat1970]

All of my dies are Lee. 357, 45acp, 30 carbine, 223 and 8mm. Have the Lee handpress and Challenger press. All of my molds are Lee. 357, 45acp, 30 carbine and 8mm. All work well for me. Any problem I ever had was of my own making. Not the Lee equipment.
Have even reformed 30-06 and 270 cases to 8mm with the Challenger press with no problems. I don't understand why there is so much Lee bashing. Their equipment is inexpensive and works well. And made in the USA.